Quadruple amputee dog learns to walk with new limbs

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LOVELAND, Colo. - A Rottweiler named Brutus was maimed by his breeder after the dog's feet contracted frostbite.

Now, Brutus is learning to get around with the help of four custom-made prosthetic limbs provided by Orthopets of Denver.

“He’s able to walk in them. It’s not always pretty," said his foster mom, Laura Aquilina. "We want to be able to give him a higher function, where he can run and play with other dogs, go on hikes."

Brutus is the second dog ever known to have four prosthetic limbs. He started walking with them in September 2014, when he was outfitted with the rear prosthetics. The front devices came 6 to 8 weeks later.

It hasn’t always been an easy road. Foster mom Laura Aquilina takes Brutus for a walk around the block, which ordinarily wouldn’t sound like a challenge.

“He just has these little peg legs to get around on and he does a pretty good job inside the home,” says Aquilina. But outside–he’s adjusting to wearing prosthetics on each leg. “You can’t explain to an animal why you are putting these contraptions on their feet. You can’t explain to them, that it’s to help them."

Aquilina eases Brutus slowly into a life with artificial limbs. The high-stepping hound sometimes resembles a bucking bronco.

Exercises and play help the 2-year-old learn balance, but Aquilina wants much more for him.

“He’s able to walk in them. It’s not always pretty. We want to be able to give him a higher function, where he can run and play with other dogs, go on hikes,” Aquilina said.